Destined To Be Together
by Dreaded Rasengan
Summary: It wasn't set in stone that they would meet, but it was their destiny to find each other, find comfort in each other, and rise above it all...Together...When Shion saw a future vision of friendship, she had no idea how much deeper it would run or the new adventure it would cause... Pairings: Naru/Hina/Shion Shika/Tema and others rated M for Adult Situations in later chapters.
1. Destiny is a Funny Thing

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto

"Normal"

_"Thoughts"_

**"YELLING or JUTSUS"**

**"Demon talk"**

_**"Demon Thoughts"**_

* * *

**Destined to be Together**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Destiny is a Funny Thing**

* * *

A fair looking woman dressed in a standard priestess outfit stared lazily towards the evergreen forest that surrounded her temple. The woman sighed before moving a strand of her raven hair away from her lavender eyes. She had foreseen a moment of the future and she wasn't quite sure how she felt about it. She had seen the deaths of many, as well as moments of prosperity, but she knew whatever she saw came true.

Any moment now, her daughter would come to her with an unusual request, and she would have to grant it…

"Miroku-sama, your daughter Shion wishes to see you," A young, brown-haired man who looked barely out of his teens said. He was wearing a standard priest robe and an elongated pinhead type of hat, along with glasses.

"Thank you, Taruho-chan. Will you escort her to me?" Miroku requested with a polite smile.

Taruho blushed slightly before nodding his head quickly, which caused his glasses to slant to the side before he rushed towards the other side of the temple.

Miroku giggled lightly before she frowned thoughtfully. Her thoughts were surrounded by her latest vision, which had concerned her daughter. She had seen her daughter in a foreign land with another young girl with an oversized jacket and lavender eyes similar to her own. They both seemed to be watching a young boy dressed in orange with a sense of awe in their eyes and faint blushes on their faces. While it was amusing to see her daughter develop a crush on a boy she hasn't even met yet, the other visions of the same boy saving her daughter and even herself made her conclude that it was imperative to find the child before the demon Moryo resurfaced and started the 100 year war.

"Mom? Mom!" Miroku was shaken out of her thoughts by her 13 year old daughter calling her.

"Hello, my precious Shion. How are you today?" Miroku smiled gently at her daughter.

Shion was dressed in a pale yellow kimono that complemented her slightly brighter blonde hair. Her hair was held in a low ponytail that was secured by a large red bow. Her bright lavender eyes looked at her mother's eyes with concern.

"Are you okay mom? You were spacing out…" Shion asked worriedly.

Miroku smiled reassuringly before kissing her daughter on her banged forehead. "I'm fine, sweetie. I was just thinking of my last vision."

Shion perked up at what her mother said. "You had one too? I saw something before, and it wasn't bad like what happened to that poor farmer."

Miroku saw how the vision of the poor farmer's death had scared her daughter. Miroku tried her best to give Shion a normal life, but she could not prevent the visions, or the fear the villagers had of them. They couldn't see how deeply these deaths haunted her precious daughter, but instead saw her as some sort of grim reaper who would claim their souls. Because of this, Shion lived a pretty isolated life outside the temple.

Miroku stood up and wrapped her arms around her daughter before whispering, "You know it wasn't your fault, sweetie. We can't stop what we see."

"I know mom, but it doesn't make it easier…but this new vision, it was different!" Shion said excitedly.

"Well, don't leave me hanging," Miroku joked as she sat back down on her seat.

"I saw myself actually making friends! It was this girl who had eyes like ours, but they were paler. There was also this boy…" Shion trailed off with a light blush.

"Oh? Does my little princess have a crush?" Miroku teased.

"Mooooom!" Shion whined, embarrassed.

Miroku giggled before motioning for Shion to continue, which she did after settling down. "I saw them fighting in this tournament. I don't know why, but I feel drawn to them."

Miroku hummed a bit before asking, "Do you know where they were?"

Shion frowned before shaking her head no, but she did say, "I saw they were wearing ninja headbands with a leaf symbol on it. Do you know where that is, mom?"

"I do, actually. Only shinobi of Konohagakure wear headbands with the leaf symbol on it. I was actually invited as a guest of honor for the final rounds of their Chunin exams that start in two months, but I had to decline, as I cannot leave the temple unattended," Miroku said, then watched the wheels inside her daughter's head turn rapidly.

"Mom, can I go? Please?" Shion asked.

"I don't think that's such a good idea, sweetie. I don't like the thought of you being so far away from me…" Miroku said seriously even though she knew she was going to have to let Shion go.

"Mom, please! These visions showed me these people for a reason! I know you worry about me, but I'll be okay, and I'll have Taruho with me…I just want to make some actual friends…" Shion whispered the last part, but Miroku heard clearly.

Miroku felt a pang in her heart as she looked at her depressed daughter. She saw the loneliness and sadness within Shion's eyes, and the pain she felt increased two fold. Miroku knew now there was really no way of not letting her go, even though she didn't plan on denying Shion this request in the first place.

"Okay, fine. You can go, but you must stay where Taruho can see you at all times, and you must write to me every week. No exceptions to the rules, do you understand?" Miroku said seriously.

She was caught off guard when her daughter engulfed her in a giant hug while nearly crying tears of joy.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you…" Shion kept repeating over and over.

"You are welcome, my dear. When do you plan to go? I don't believe the actual exams have started yet," Miroku commented as she smoothed out Shion's pale blonde hair.

"I was hoping I could go tomorrow. It'll take some time to travel there, and I want to find these people!" Shion said excitedly.

"So soon? I guess it can't be helped…I'll send a message ahead to their leader so he'll have a team meet you halfway." Miroku said as she got up and called Taruho back.

"Taruho-chan, can you please prepare yourself and a couple of your men to escort my daughter to Konohagakure in the Land of Fire?" Miroku asked politely.

"It shall be done, Miroku-sama," Taruho replied with a bow before escorting Shion to her room.

Miroku watched her bouncing daughter talk animatedly with Taruho before they walked outside of her vision. She finally let out a weary sigh as she thought about all that was going to happen, and how powerless she was to stop it.

"Well I guess it won't be all bad…" Miroku whispered to herself. She smiled as she remembered the look of happiness on Shion's face as she talked about the two people who were going to be her friends…and more…

* * *

**Borders of the Land of Fire**

* * *

"Are we there yet?" Shion asked in a bored tone.

"No, not yet mistress…" Taruho replied exasperatedly.

"How much longer?" Shion asked impatiently.

"We should be meeting up with the Konoha team soon, Shion-sama. We've made good time however. It has only been one week," Taruho said as he tried to placate Shion.

"I guess…I 'm sorry, Taruho-san. It's just that this is the first time mother has allowed me to do something like this, and I might actually make some friends..." Shion said quietly, which made Taruho feel bad.

"You know I am your friend, Shion-sama," Taruho replied with a smile.

Shion smiled back before lightly punching Taruho's arm. "I know that, Taruho-san, but I want to make friends with people my own age."

"Are you calling me old?!" Taruho replied with a faux-affronted tone.

"Hmmm…yes!" Shion said with a giggle as she ran ahead.

"…brat…" Taruho said jokingly before he sped up his stride to catch up with Shion.

The small group walked for thirty more minutes before they all stopped and went on guard. Taruho had pulled Shion into the center of the defensive circle while standing in front of her.

"By orders of the Royal Bodyguards of Demon Country, show yourselves!" Taruho ordered as he readied an arrow on his bow.

"Stand down! We're not hostile! We're your escort from Konoha," a feminine voice echoed around them before a team materialized in front of envoy.

The leader was a woman dressed in a crimson shirt that complimented her ruby eyes, and had a bandage like robe wrapped over her body. Standing next to her was a tall boy with his hair in a fuzzy afro, sunglasses, and a long white coat that had a high collar which hid the bottom half of his face. The second boy was shorter than the other boy. He wore a gray jacket with a fur hood. He had shaggy brown hair and red triangles painted on his cheeks. There was also a little puppy beside him. The final member of the team was a girl who stood beside the leader. She wore a beige color overcoat and baggy blue Capri pants. She had midnight blue hair that was cut into a short hime style. Her most noticeable feature was her pale lavender eyes that were similar to Shion's, but lighter in shade.

"My name is Kurenai Yuhi, and this is my team. We were told to escort you back to our village." Kurenai said politely before handing over a scroll to one of the guards, who passed it to Taruho.

Taruho looked over the scroll before nodding his head and giving the other guards the signal to stand down.

"Thank you, Kurenai-san. My name is Taruho Fujita, and I am the leader of this envoy. I thank you for meeting us here," Taruho said with a bow.

"It's not a problem, Taruho-san. Our Hokage was quite pleased to hear you changed your mind and decided to come to the Chunin Exams," Kurenai replied as she returned the bow.

"Yes, well, we understand our request was quite spontaneous, so we are grateful to your Hokage for accommodating us. If you don't mind, can we please proceed to your village? It has been quite a taxing journey." Taruho replied as Kurenai nodded in agreement.

"That is not a problem, Taruho-san. It should take us four days if we go at a civilian speed. Kiba! Shino! You guys are taking point. Hinata, you will take the rear with me." Kurenai ordered as the two boys moved to the front of the formation while Kurenai and Hinata moved to the back near Taruho.

Throughout the conversation, Shion could not stop looking at Hinata. It was the same girl from her vision! Shion quickly looked around, but to her dismay she didn't see the orange clad blond boy anywhere. Shaking her head, Shion suddenly got nervous as to how to approach the girl. She wasn't allowed to interact with others her own age due to her visions, and she didn't want to mess up on trying to make her first friend.

Hinata had noticed that the girl the guards were protecting was staring at her and fidgeting uncomfortably. Did the girl think she looked weird? She had been told many times in the academy that her eyes made her look weird…but the girl had similar eyes to herself. They were a darker shade of lavender, but they lacked a pupil as well. Hinata watched as the girl approached her before freezing up.

Shion decided she would muster up her courage and try to start a conversation with the girl from her vision, Hinata. Her vision showed them getting along well, and her visions were never wrong, so what did she have to fear? Shion started to walk towards Hinata before she froze as new images flashed in through her vision.

Shion watched helplessly as the unknown orange clad boy had to be held back from an older boy with the same eyes as Hinata by multiple adults. The orange clad boy was covered in this weird red silhouette in the shape of a fox, while his beautiful cerulean eyes were blood red.

"_If she dies, I'll make sure you will too, Neji! That's a fucking promise!"_ The orange clad boy shouted.

"_If she does perish, then it was fate for someone as weak as Hinata-sama to die. I did not kill her, I am just the instrument of fate,"_ The other boy known as Neji replied coldly.

Neji's words seemed to enrage the orange clad shinobi even more as the cloak of red energy seemed to increase and grow darker. He left out a deafening roar that sent shivers down Shion's back before he broke away from the adults holding him back.

Shion's vision cut out at that point. She heard a voice calling out to her, but she couldn't focus. She noticed that the girl, Hinata, was now standing in front of her. She was looking at her with concerned eyes, before everything went black. She faintly heard Taruho yelling her name.

"Shion-sama!" Taruho yelled as he rushed to his downed mistress.

"W-What happened?" Hinata asked with a surprise squeak.

Taruho checked Shion's vitals before sighing in relief. "I was hoping you could tell me, Kunoichi-san."

"I-I am n-not sure what happened. She was w-walking over to me, but then her e-eyes started glowing and then s-she passed o-out," Hinata reported.

Taruho nodded thoughtfully before sighing. "I see, thank you. Shion-sama must have had a vision…coupled with her exhaustion from the trip, it's no surprise she fainted…" Taruho said before he picked up Shion bridal style.

"V-Visions?" Hinata asked curiously.

"Shion-sama is…special…she and her mother are a special type of priestess that can see into the future. Their visions are never wrong, and they are highly respected within our community. In fact Shion-sama's mother is considered the leader of our village," Taruho explained as the envoy was able to pick up the pace since Shion was unconscious.

"That is an interesting ability. No wonder you have so many guards for a single girl," Kurenai commented as the group moved from the road to the tree branches.

"Shion-sama is the next in line for grand-priestess. All of us would lay down our lives to protect her," Taruho said simply.

* * *

**Within the Land of Fire**

* * *

The first thing she noticed was the pounding force in her head. Shion groaned as she rubbed her aching head. This always happened when she had a vision. The lights and knowledge would overload her mind, and would leave her head pounding for hours. She was jealous that her mother didn't get headaches, but Miroku did explain that the she wouldn't feel the pain once she was older. She tried to get up, but noticed she was wrapped tightly in her sleeping bag.

"A-Are you alright?" a soft voice echoed near her.

Shion turned her head to see Hinata sitting next to a fire. She was looking at her worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm okay, if I can get out of this dumb sleeping bag…" Shion said as she struggled to get out.

Hinata giggled quietly, which earned a soft glare from Shion before she sighed exasperatedly.

"Can you help me out of this monstrosity?" Shion asked Hinata.

Hinata giggled again before pulling the zipper down on the side of the sleeping bag. Shion looked embarrassed for not trying that first.

"I was uh…going to do that next!" Shion defended herself half-heartedly.

"S-Sure you w-were…" Hinata said softly.

"I was!" Shion said with huff before crossing her arms, "Anyways, thank you. My name is Shion. You're Hinata-san, right?"

"Yes, I'm H-Hinata Hyuga. It is n-nice to meet you, S-Shion-sama," Hinata introduced herself politely.

"Please, don't use -sama. It makes me feel old," Shion joked.

"Okay, S-Shion-san," Hinata replied with a smile.

"So, how long was I out?" Shion asked as she took a seat on the log near the fire pit.

"You w-were asleep for n-nearly eight hours. Do you usually f-faint after getting a v-vision?" Hinata asked worriedly.

Shion was initially surprised that Hinata knew she had visions, but then she assumed Taruho told her. It wasn't like it was a secret. Most people knew about the temple priestess and their visions of the future. Other nations would try to employ their services, but Miroku always declined, since she could not predict when she, or anyone else for that matter, would have a vision.

"Taruho told you?" Shion received a shy nod which confirmed her suspicions before continuing, "It's usually not that bad, but the last one I saw was quite…strong…"

Hinata noticed the slight grimace and decided to change the subject. "So y-you are coming h-here for the C-Chunin Exams?"

"_I actually came here to meet you and the orange clad blond boy, but that sounds quite stalker-like…"_ Shion thought wryly. She replied, "Yes, this is actually the first time I've been allowed to leave the village. I'm really excited."

"I see, well my t-team is p-participating in the e-exams," Hinata said as she poked the fire with a stick.

"Really? Well you guys must be really strong!" Shion complimented.

Hinata ducked her head shyly before saying, "Thank y-you. Shino-kun a-and Kiba-kun are g-good shinobi. I s-sometimes think I'm h-holding t-them back…"

"Why would you think that?" Shion asked curiously.

"I've been told by my father that I'm not strong enough. My cousin, Neji, is always saying how it is my fate to be weak. I can't even raise my arms to fight my baby sister…" Hinata said softly as she replayed the hurtful words in her head.

Shion stiffened when she heard the Neji's name, but then she felt sympathetic for the poor Hyuga as she continued to listen. "You shouldn't listen to them. What do they know anyway?!"

"My f-father is clan head of one of the m-most influential clans in K-Konoha, and my c-cousin is considered a p-prodigy of our f-fighting style, and a g-genius," Hinata replied meekly as she sank more into herself.

"So? They must be pretty stupid if they can't see how awesome you are! I just met you and I think you're really cool. I mean, you're actually a Kunoichi! My mother wouldn't even let me hold a kunai…" Shion grumbled the last part, but Hinata heard it and tried to stifle a giggle.

"You r-remind me of s-someone, S-Shion-san," Hinata said in between her giggles.

"I hope it's someone good…" Shion joked.

Hinata laughed before nodding her head. "He is. He's everything I'm not. He's confident and never afraid to speak his mind. People tend to get annoyed at him, but I just draw strength from him."

"It sounds like someone has a crush," Shion said in a singsong voice.

Hinata blushed brightly, but nodded her head slightly. Shion was shocked that Hinata would admit such an intimate detail to a basic stranger.

"I think e-everyone in our v-village knows about it, b-but him…" Hinata replied sadly.

"Aww, I'm sorry Hinata. Have you tried taking to him?" Shion asked.

Hinata stiffened and shook her head. "I can't talk to h-him…I-I stutter uncontrollably and usually f-faint…"

"Wow…he must be a real heartbreaker for you. What does he look like, anyways?" Shion asked curiously.

Hinata smiled gently before she started describing the boy she admired. "He has the b-brightest b-blond hair y-you'll ever see. It's s-spiky like r-rays from the s-sun. He has the b-bluest eyes e-ever. Every time I l-look at them, I feel like I c-could g-get lost in them. He h-has this s-smile that m-makes my heart skip a b-beat every time I s-see him."

"Damn, you have it bad girl!" Shion replied as she looked at Hinata's dreamy expression.

Hinata nodded her head before sighing. "I k-know I d-do, but I c-can't help b-but to be drawn t-to him. There's j-just something a-about him…"

"Maybe it's his clothes?" Shion joked.

Hinata laughed outright at that. "I d-don't believe so. He wears a b-bright o-orange jumpsuit. It's not s-something a ninja w-would wear, but I c-can't imagine N-Naruto-kun without any orange on him."

Shion froze as she now knew that this Naruto-guy was also the same guy from her visions. He had to be, since Hinata described him perfectly.

"What kind of ninja wears bright orange? Haha!" Shion laughed nervously as she tried to play ignorant. She knew what kind of ninja this Naruto was from her visions about him, but she didn't need to tell Hinata about that yet…

"…Only the most unpredictable shinobi in Konoha and our future Hokage," Hinata answered confidently.

Shion's eyebrows rose in surprise, since that was the first time Hinata hadn't stuttered during their whole conversation. _"She must really like him."_

"Hey Hinata! Your shift is over! You should get some rest. You too, uh…sorry I forgot your name…" The boy with red triangles painted on his cheeks said sheepishly.

Hinata let out a small yawn before standing up. "Thank y-you, K-Kiba-kun. I'll s-see you in t-the morning. Thank y-you for keeping m-me company, S-Shion-chan."

Shion was surprised when Hinata used the more informal honorific, but she smiled happily nonetheless. "What are friends for, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata smiled before heading over to her sleeping bag as Shion went to hers. Shion rested her head on her pillow before falling asleep with a smile on her face.

* * *

**Village Hidden in the Leaves**

* * *

The remaining trip went by in a flash for Shion. She and Hinata seemed to have struck up a very good friendship after the first night. Shion wouldn't distract her when she was on duty, but whenever it was Hinata's shift for nighttime watch, Shion would keep her company, and they would talk about an assorted amount of topics.

Shion even told her how she had visions of the deaths of others and how they affected her emotionally. Instead of being afraid of her, like the villagers, Hinata hugged her and comforted her about it. Shion had never felt this accepted by anyone other than her mother and Taruho.

Hinata also found her conversations with Shion very beneficial. Since her mother's death, Hinata never had another female to talk too. There were no other Main Family Hyuga women who would talk to her, and the branch women feared they would be caught shirking their duties if they talked too long with her. The girls from the academy weren't an option either, since they always thought she was weird. Shion was someone she could pour out her heart to after six years of bottling it up. Shion would encourage her, and even give her ideas as to how to approach her crush, Naruto.

Kurenai and Taruho observed how the two girls interacted. They were close enough to see the gates of Konoha, so Kurenai had allowed her team to break formation as long as they stayed alert. Kiba and Shino started a one-sided conversation where Kiba dominated most of the talking, while Shino merely nodded here and there. Hinata had walked up to Shion, and the two were whispering and giggling like school girls.

"I've never seen Shion-sama so happy. I had my reservations about this trip, but it's definitely worth it, seeing her like this," Taruho admitted as he walked alongside Kurenai.

"I know what you mean. Hinata-chan has always had confidence issues, but it seems like Shion-sama is bringing her out of her shell and giving her a friend she desperately needed to confide in," Kurenai replied as she watched her ward interact with the priestess.

"Wow, I can't believe we're almost there!" Shion said excitedly, as the gates of Konoha seemed to enlarge with every step.

"It was a q-quick and peaceful journey," Hinata said with barely a stutter. Her stutter had faded the more she had talked with Shion.

"Yeah, I can't wait to look around! Maybe we'll run into Na-ru-to," Shion teased in a singsong voice to get a rise out of Hinata.

Hinata didn't disappoint, as she gave out an embarrassed squeak coupled with an indignant, "S-Shion-chan!"

Shion laughed ad ran ahead with Hinata on her heels. They had reached the gates before the rest of the envoy, so they waited by the checkpoint where there were two guards sitting down.

"Wow, this place is amazing!" Shion exclaimed as she took in the sights.

"Konoha is quite the place. Up t-there is our Hokage Monument, and over there is t-the Hokage tower," Hinata explained as she pointed at the mountain with faces and the large tower near it respectively.

"Cool…hey, wait! You can see the monument from anywhere in this village since it's so high up above everything. How did Naruto paint it without anyone noticing what he was doing?" Shion asked curiously.

Hinata had retold many of Naruto's "proudest moments" which had sent Shion into a giggling fit. Shion's favorite was the "Retexture of the Hokage Monument", so Hinata wasn't surprised by her question.

"I'm not really s-sure, Shion-chan…" Hinata replied.

Shion was about to press Hinata more, but the rest of the group had finally caught up with them. Shion sent Hinata a small look that said they weren't finished with this conversation. Hinata just sighed before shaking her head good-naturedly.

They arrived at the base of the Hokage Tower in a matter of minutes. Kurenai escorted them to the top of the tower, where the secretary seemed to be off duty. Kurenai shrugged her shoulders before knocking on the double doors that led to the Hokage office. Once she heard a muffled "enter", Kurenai and Taruho proceeded in with Shion and Team 8. The guards had chosen to remain outside.

The inside of the Hokage's office was not what Kurenai expected to see. The wizened Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat regally at his desk as he looked away from his previous guests to see who his newer ones were. Off to the right side of Sarutobi's desk stood Kakashi Hatake, nose deep in his Icha Icha novel. The ever-brooding Sasuke Uchiha stood next to Kakashi with his hands in his pockets, and his permanent scowl on his face. Sakura Haruno stood next the dark Uchiha with a look of curiosity on her visage as she looked at the newcomers.

Kurenai noted that Naruto Uzumaki was missing from Team 7 until she noticed he was standing on the opposite side of his teammates. Kurenai raised an eyebrow at Naruto's state of dress…or undress…

Naruto's signature orange jacket was missing, and his orange pants had sears around the left side of it. Oddly though, his white T-shirt was drenched with water, as was his hair which, instead of spiking everywhere, was matted down by the water. His seared headband was held tightly in his right hand.

"Um, are we interrupting something, Hokage-sama?" Kurenai asked.

"No we were just finishing up here, Kurenai-chan," the old Hokage replied with a tired sigh.

"Dude, what happened to you?" Kiba asked as he took in Naruto's appearance.

Naruto growled lowly before sending a murderous look towards Sasuke. "That bastard over there set me on fire!"

Hinata and Shion gasped in shock, while Sasuke looked at Naruto with a bored expression.

"If you possessed any real skills, you would have been able to dodge it," Sasuke said coldly.

"Sasuke-kun wasn't even aiming at you! You just got in the way, Naruto!" Sakura shouted at Naruto as she defended her crush.

"Naruto, I'm not happy about what happened, but Sasuke wasn't trying to hit you. If it's anyone's fault, then it's mine, since I deflected his attack instead of dodging it. How about I make it up to you by getting you a bowl of ramen?" Kakashi asked as he rested his arm on Naruto's shoulder and gave him his patented eye-smile.

Shion and Hinata saw the look of betrayal in Naruto's eyes before he hid it deep within himself. They saw the fake smile he plastered on his face as he accepted Kakashi's offer, but the two girls knew that the boy was truly hurting by being brushed off so easily.

"I'm glad that is settled. Now I hope this incident is behind us and that there won't be a repeat in the future," Hiruzen said.

"Of course, Hokage-sama," Kakashi replied before he started to read his novel again.

"Hn," Sasuke replied as Sakura swooned at "how cool" Sasuke was being.

Naruto merely nodded his head before turning to team 8. More specifically he was looking at Shion.

"Hey, I've never seen you here before! I'm Naruto, nice to meet you!" Naruto said happily.

Shion was surprised to see that Naruto's mood had flipped a complete 180, but she could tell he wasn't faking his friendliness due to his body language. Hinata was right when she said Naruto was a friendly person.

Shion opened her mouth to reply to Naruto, but her vision started to flash, as images started to appear in front of her. She noticed that she was looking at a hot-spring type of area. There was a wooden fence outlining a steaming pool.

There seemed to be a figure swimming in the water, but the fog was too thick to identify that person. Shion noticed that she was walking closer to the edge of the pool where another woman sat. She looked really familiar to Shion, but she couldn't place where. Her attention was drawn back to the silhouette coming closer to her.

Shion gasped when she noticed it was Naruto. It was a much more…_adult_…Naruto. Naruto had to be at least four or five years older and his muscles were…well defined…Shion honestly couldn't tear her eyes away from his chiseled six pack as a bead of water dripped across them. His blond hair was longer than before and seemed wilder while his piercing blue eyes remained unchanged.

"_There you are, my two princesses. You guys sure kept me waiting,_" Naruto purred with a deep masculine voice, which caused Shion and the girl next to her to shiver.

"_I think we could come up with some ways to make it up to you, Naruto-kun. Right, Shion-chan?"_ The other girl said in a seductive tone as Naruto wrapped his arms around both girls.

"_What did you have in mind, Hinata-chaaan?"_ Naruto whispered into Hinata's neck which got a moan out of the older Hinata.

Before Hinata could reply, Shion felt a familiar pull as the vision faded. The first thing she saw was a pair of piercing blue eyes staring directly at her.

"Hey, are you okay?" Naruto asked in a concerned tone.

Before Shion could reply, an after image of the adult Naruto seemed to super-impose onto the present Naruto. Shion could still see all of Naruto's well-defined muscles, and the seductive look on his face. Her face soon turned cherry red as her eyes rolled back into her head, and she fell into a dead faint. Luckily, Naruto was able to catch her.

"Whoa?! What happened to her? Is she alright? Hinata, do you know what happened to her?" Naruto asked rapidly as panic started to settle within him. He took a couple steps too close into Hinata's personal space.

"N-N-N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata wasn't used to having Naruto so close to her, so she did what she always did in this situation, which is blush and faint. She did the latter right into Naruto's arms.

"Bwuh?! Hinata?! What just happened?!" Naruto asked in a panicked tone as he held the two unconscious girls in his arms.

"Well, I believe things just got interesting…" Kakashi said with a chuckle.

* * *

**Chapter End**

* * *

**Hello all! Welcome to my new story! This is actually kind of a switch up from my regular stories, as this will probably be my only nonexclusive NaruHina story. As you can tell, this is Naru/Hina/Shion. I don't plan on adding any other girls to this, so please do not ask. I honestly love Shion as a character, but I would never go against my OTP pairing of NaruHina. After multiple discussions with my buddies Solvdrage and Gaiseric, I decided to try this story out, as we want to try our hands at a "mini-harem". I personally don't like harems over a certain number (3) but, I don't hate them. My problem is usually the lack of development between the female character and the lack of focus of Hinata because, yes, I'm ****a Hinata fanboy. In this story, my main goals are to provide a plausible Harem-ish fic with decent development for both Shion and Hinata. (Question, is it a harem with just 2 people?)**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this first chapter, and keep an eye out for my other fics!**


	2. Fanning the Flames

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto

"Normal"

"_Thoughts"_

"**YELLING or JUTSUS**"

**"Demon talk**"

* * *

**Destined to be Together**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Fanning the Flames**

* * *

Kiba honestly couldn't believe what he was seeing. He had nothing against Naruto, and even saw the guy as a dumb little brother, but this was impossible in his mind. How could Naruto make girls like Hinata and Shion, who were basically royalty, fall for him?! In a sense, he was better at attracting girls than Sasuke, since only fangirls flocked to the Uchiha, but Naruto, the village pariah, the dead last, the dobe, was getting girls who actually mattered! This just boggled Kiba's mind, and soon, he sunk to his knees.

"WHY, KAMI-SAMA?! WHY? HAVE I NOT BEEN A GOOD BOY? WHAT IS HIS SECRET IT? WHY HIM?!" Kiba sobbed miserably into Akamaru, who was looking more uncomfortable by the second.

"Yo, Kiba, are you okay? Also, do you know why these girls fainted on me?" the ever lovable dobe Naruto asked with both girls still unconscious in his arms.

Kiba sobbed harder into Akamaru after Naruto's dumb question. Everyone looked around awkwardly before Shino, who looked the most uncomfortable, patted Kiba's shoulder sympathetically while looking the other way.

"Uhh…" Naruto didn't really know what to say.

"Do not worry about it, Naruto-san. We've just had a long day," Shino made up a quick excuse.

"Well, if you say so…" Naruto trailed off.

"Naruto you idiot!" Sakura fumed, and was about to hit him when Kakashi grabbed her fist.

"I would advise against that Sakura. If you hit him, he could drop the girls," Kakashi admonished. Sakura looked away in shame, though she was still peeved for some reason.

Hiruzen sighed in annoyance before saying, "Okay, this has gotten a bit out of hand. Shino, can you escort Kiba home? Sasuke and Sakura, you may leave too. Kakashi, I want a word with you, and Kurenai, we still need to talk with your client, so you may stay as well."

Shino escorted the still distraught Kiba out while Sasuke left without a word. Sakura followed immediately after him, but gave one last glare at Naruto, who just frowned in response. Naruto turned to the Hokage and asked, "What about me?"

Hiruzen stared humorously at Naruto before jokingly saying, "Well Naruto, if you could pry yourself from those two lovely ladies, then you can leave."

Naruto blushed slightly, but tried to gently remove Shion and Hinata from him, only to find out that they both had an iron grip on the tattered remains of his shirt. Naruto sighed before saying, "I don't think I'm going anywhere until they wake up…"

Kakashi, Kurenai, Taruho, and Hiruzen laughed lightly at that before Hiruzen motioned for Naruto sit down on his couch while the others discussed what they needed to. Naruto sat comfortably on the couch while balancing the girls in his arms and making sure they were comfortable. He started to feel uncomfortable when he realized he still didn't know the blonde girl's name, but he had to admit she was as pretty as Haku, who he still thought was a girl even after what Haku told him in the forest.

Then there was Hinata. He never really paid attention to her before, since they hardly talked in the academy and she was always seemingly getting sick around him, turning red and passing out whenever he got too close. He had to admit, she was pretty cute when she was asleep, with that tiny smile on her face.

_"Whoa! Where did that thought come from? Ugh, Kakashi-sensei's pervy-ness is rubbing off on me…"_ Naruto thought to himself with a dramatic sigh.

"Mm…Naruto-kun…" Hinata murmured before snuggling deeper into Naruto's chest.

Naruto blushed deeply while wondering why Hinata was dreaming about him. He started to feel really uncomfortable, since he had never been in such an awkward predicament. Luckily, the blonde girl woke up. She stretched like a cat before noticing she was still leaning on Naruto. She blushed before leaping off the couch.

"S-Sorry about that!" Shion stuttered.

"Hey, it's okay. You weren't the only one," Naruto joked and smiled at Shion, who blushed a little harder.

Shion took a deep breath before calming her nerves, "Still, it was quite rude of me to faint on you, and I apologize. My name is Shion. What is yours?"

"I'm Naruto. It's nice to meet you, Shion!" Naruto greeted enthusiastically while offering her his free hand to shake.

Shion reached out to Naruto's extended hand and felt a jolt of energy pass through her when they connected. She assumed only she felt it, since Naruto made no outward reaction to it. Once they separated, Shion took her seat next to Naruto, but left a respectable distance between them. She was still trying to figure out what her last vision meant beyond the obvious, though the thought of it brought a fresh blush to her cheeks.

"Hey are you alright? You're not gonna faint again are you?" Naruto asked in a concerned tone.

Shion shook her head. "N-No, I'm fine! I just always feel a little off after I have a vision…"

"Vision…?" Naruto asked in a confused tone.

"Oh…Um, I can see the future sometimes. These visions just randomly happen," Shion explained.

Naruto's eyes lit up in excitement, "That's awesome! Hey, did you see my future? I'm gonna be a total badass, right?"

_"From what I saw, he had a great ass…WHAT?! BAD SHION! BAD!" _"Uh…I don't get to pick what I see, so I couldn't tell you. I know Hinata speaks highly of you so I'm sure you're really strong!" Shion replied.

Naruto looked at Shion in shock before looking at the still unconscious Hyuga. "Hinata talks about me?"

"Yeah, she's always telling me how you never give up and how you inspire her…She never told you that?" Shion asked in a confused tone.

"Uh…no…Hinata's always been really shy, and we've rarely had a chance to talk to each other, especially since we're on separate teams," Naruto admitted, suddenly looking at Hinata in a new light.

Naruto could name the people that believed in him on one hand, and two of them were already in this room. Not including Hinata, only the old man, Kakashi, Iruka, Ayame, and Teuchi actually had any faith in him. There were more than enough people who wished he was six feet under, though…

Naruto shook his head to remove his darker thoughts, and settled with thinking over what he knew about Hinata, which was, regrettably, not that much. Naruto vowed he would try to get to know the Hyuga heiress once she woke up.

"Hey, are you okay? You're really quiet suddenly…" Shion asked.

"Yeah, sorry, I was just thinking about what you said," Naruto admitted.

"Oh, uh…Can you not tell Hinata-chan I said anything? I thought you guys were closer by the way she spoke of you, and I don't know if she wanted me to tell you what I did," Shion asked in a nervous tone.

"Sure, I promise. Don't worry, I never go back on my word, since-"

"…Since it's your ninja way. I know, Hinata-chan told me. She says it's hers, too," Shion interrupted.

Naruto was once again shocked to hear about this, but he recovered faster than before, "Yeah…So…are you visiting Konoha?"

Shion nodded her head. "Yes. I wanted to see the Chunin exams this year, but I came early to sight-see around Konoha. I've never been outside my village before, and this seemed like a great opportunity."

"Cool! Do you have a guide? I could show you around!" Naruto offered.

"You're not escorting her like that. If you haven't noticed, Naruto, you're half-naked," Kakashi replied.

Both preteens blushed. Naruto blushed in embarrassment, while Shion blushed because she was thinking about how Naruto looked in her vision, as well as seeing Naruto's almost bare torso now.

"Good point, sensei, but I don't think I have anything left, since all my jumpsuits are either ripped or really dirty," Naruto said with a downtrodden look.

"Well, we could visit my tailor. I know you have enough since we were paid for that A-rank mission in Wave," Kakashi commented.

Naruto looked like he was about to panic before Shion leapt up from the couch. "Can I come along? I love shopping! Please?"

Naruto was about to say no when Shion started to give him puppy eyes. To his credit, Naruto withstood her look for 30 seconds before caving in. "Sure, Shion, you can come if it's okay with, uh…your bodyguard."

Kakashi subtly flicked his wrist while making a whipping sound which caused Hiruzen to chuckle, but Kurenai saw it as well and glared at the masked man.

Taruho, who had been silent until then, sighed exasperatedly before giving Naruto a look of pity for what was about to happen to him. "It is fine, Shion-sama, but may I request you take Hinata-san with you so it will be easier for you to find us later?"

Shion rolled her eyes. "Of course Hinata-chan is coming with me! You think I would wander an unknown village with a random boy that I just met?"

"…Of course not Shion-sama, my apologies," Taruho said with a low bow.

This time, Shion sighed in exasperation at Taruho's servitude-related behavior. She motioned for Taruho to stand up before hugging him and saying thanks, then she sat back down next to Naruto, who titled his head in confusion.

"What is it, Naruto-san?" Shion asked.

"It's nothing, it's just that Taruho guy treats you like a princess, and you treat him like a brother. It's kinda confusing," Naruto admitted.

Shion nodded her head before replying, "That's the gist of it. I'm technically a princess in my lands, and Taruho is my keeper, but he's like an older brother to me."

"Wow, you're a princess? That's really cool! On my first escort mission, I thought we were going to escort a princess, but it turned out to be an old drunk," Naruto muttered.

Shion giggled before replying, "I'm guessing you were a little disappointed after that."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head with his free hand and smiled good-naturedly before replying, "Yeah, you could say that. But old man Tazuna turned out to be an okay guy when he's not drinking heavily, lying about mission reports, or saying "super"."

Shion giggled into her hands while saying mirthfully to Naruto, "I'll take your word for it."

Naruto laughed as well before her heard a low groan coming from Hinata, who snuggled into his chest again. Naruto smiled slightly, but he thought it was about time she woke up. He lightly poked her cheek, but Hinata swatted his hand away. He did it again, which caused Hinata to swat it away again and groan irritably.

"Hinata, it's time to wake up," Naruto whispered into her ear.

"Don't wanna…" Hinata sleepily replied.

Naruto and Shion both chuckled before Shion got an idea, "Hinata-chan, someone is about to eat your last cinnamon roll!"

Hinata shot out of Naruto's lap before looking around frantically before she saw her two blond companions laughing at her. She pouted at the lack of cinnamon rolls before blushing in embarrassment and looking down at the ground. Shion saw this and sighed.

"Hey, calm down Hinata-chan, it was just a joke," Shion said.

"It's okay, Hinata. Now I learned two more things about you! You love cinnamon rolls as much as I love ramen, and never get in your way when it concerns a cinnamon roll," Naruto joked before smiling his lady killer smile.

Hinata took one look at Naruto's smiling face and forgot she was mortified about her behavior as her heart started to race and a new blush heated her cheeks. Shion saw this and smiled slightly at her two new friends. She then remembered she had to tell Hinata about their shopping trip!

"Hinata-chan, Naruto-san needs a new wardrobe, and we're going to help him!" Shion said excitedly.

Hinata's head snapped towards Naruto before remembering he was almost naked. She felt a trickle of blood run down her nose, but she looked down and covertly wiped it away before anyone saw it.

"I w-would be g-glad to help you if you want, N-Naruto-kun," Hinata said just loud enough for her two friends to hear.

"Great! Let's go!" Shion said excitedly before grabbing Naruto and Hinata's hands and pulling them out the door before Naruto could say otherwise. A few seconds later, she was back at the door.

"Uh…I don't know where to go…" Shion admitted sheepishly.

Kakashi chuckled before walking towards the three preteens, "I guess that's my cue to go. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on them."

* * *

**Konoha Streets**

* * *

Kakashi was following a few steps behind Naruto, Shion, and Hinata, as the trio chatted happily, or rather, Naruto ran his mouth nonstop while the two girls listened. It didn't look like they were complaining, though. Shion was giggling and making an occasional quip while Hinata seemed to be hanging on every word and shyly smiling at Naruto. He had to admit that this was more interesting than his book, and who knows; maybe Jiraiya's next novel would involve the trio when they were older…

"Uh…Kakashi-sensei…you alright?" Naruto asked hesitantly.

Kakashi blinked before looking at the trio who had stopped walking. "I'm okay, why do ask?"

"You just started laughing really weirdly…" Shion said while Hinata shyly nodded.

Kakashi was thankful he was wearing a mask to conceal his blush. "Sorry about that, I just thought of a joke one of my friends told me."

"Can we hear it?" Naruto asked.

"Uh…You're not old enough yet…" Kakashi partially lied. Technically, they weren't old enough yet.

Naruto rolled his eyes while the girls looked at Kakashi weirdly. Naruto tugged Kakashi's Jonin vest that he was wearing since he threw away what remained of his charred and soaked white shirt back at the tower.

"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata's quiet voice caught Naruto's attention.

"What is it, Hinata?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Ano…I w-wondering how you got b-burned…?" Hinata stuttered out.

Naruto scowled, and Hinata thought he was scowling at her which caused her to feel sad and look down towards the ground. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I'm sorry for asking…"

Naruto was surprised to hear Hinata sound so sad until he realized he was scowling. He felt bad that he made her sad, even though he did it unintentionally.

Naruto tilted Hinata's head up so she could look at him and he smiled gently. "It's fine, Hinata. I wasn't angry at you or your question. I was just thinking about how the stupid teme started this whole mess."

"What did he do?" Shion asked.

Naruto and Kakashi sighed before he started to retell his hectic morning…

* * *

**Flashback – Earlier that day**

* * *

Naruto was currently leaning over the bridge he dubbed "Team 7's Bridge" since this was their most common meeting place whenever they had to meet up with Kakashi. He was staring at the water below while thinking about his current team. Everyone had seemed different after the A-Rank mission in wave, but then they just reverted back. Sasuke seemed interested about what happened after he was knocked unconscious, but he went back to being the same distant loner he always was.

Sakura actually stuck closer to him, and was even more persistent in her advances towards the Uchiha boy since she was afraid she would lose him during any mission. She was also more adamant about her refusal to even entertain the idea of going on a date with Naruto, so he decided to stop asking. Sakura seemed content at first, but then she would just snap at Naruto for no reason, and it was starting to irritate him. He thought leaving her alone would cause her to ease up, but it turned out that wasn't the case.

Kakashi sensei seemed to be the same as always, and was always an hour or two late. Naruto decided to utilize that time by training, whether it was physical exercises like running laps around the village and pushups, or chakra control exercises like tree walking. After a month, Naruto started to notice some results from his physical training, as well as a slight growth in height since Kakashi-sensei started making him eat fruits and vegetables.

Along with his physical training, Naruto started to train his mind a little, too. Since his teammates weren't too keen with talking to him, Naruto would spend time meditating or just thinking about a plethora of different topics while staring at the water. Funnily enough, this more introspective persona seemed to disturb Sasuke and Sakura for some reason. Naruto enjoyed it when he threw the teme off-kilter, so he continued with his quieter personality. They still weren't used to it, which was the case when they arrived just to see Naruto looking at the river that bisected the village.

Soon, the same routine started once more, with Sasuke leaning on the opposite side of the bridge from Naruto with Sakura too close for comfort in the Uchiha's opinion. Naruto mentally counted down from five, to four, to three, to two…

"What are you doing, dobe?" Sasuke asked coldly.

It was basically clockwork now, and Naruto really felt like he was just going through the movements. He counted down from five again, and at two, Sakura decided to chip in.

"Hey idiot! Sasuke-kun is talking to you!" Sakura yelled.

Naruto just rolled his eyes. "I'm going to tell you what I told you yesterday, the day before that, and the day before that one. I'm doing nothing."

Just like every time Naruto responded like that, Sasuke just "hn'ed" and stared off his end of the bridge with Sakura hovering near him like a mother hen.

Naruto just sighed before thinking how bothersome this routine was. He felt like he was stuck in an endless loop; doomed to repeat the same thing over and over again.

_"Maybe I should pull a prank to end this monotony…" _Naruto mused.

Before Naruto could act on his previous thought, a couple of foreigners started to cross the bridge. The first seemed to be a cheerful old merchant, while the second person was a shinobi just barely out of his teens who seemed bored out of his mind.

"So, this is the great Village Hidden in the Leaves…I'm not impressed," the young man said in a dismissive tone as he walked by Team 7.

"Hush now. This village is filled with tales of heroism, and is the product of two of the strongest known clans uniting, the Senju and Uchiha," the old merchant admonished the young man.

Sasuke smirked at the old merchant's back. He was glad that his clan's reputation was still so widely known and respected. Sasuke's smirk turned into a scowl when he heard the younger man's reply,

"Tch, aren't both those clans dead now? I heard one went psycho and murdered off the rest of those red eyed freaks. It's about time, too. I can't stand these bloodline freaks. So make your sales and let's get out of this shithole," the younger man said in disgust as his Kiri headband gleamed in the afternoon sun.

The old man frowned at his bodyguard's disrespect and was about to admonish him, but he was silenced when he and his guard were bombarded by someone's killing intent. They both turned to see Sasuke snarling at them with his Sharingan activated.

"Sasuke…" Naruto started hesitantly.

Sasuke ignored Naruto before doing hand-signs for one of the Uchiha's signature jutsu.

"Sasuke…What are you doing…?" Naruto said in a more panicked tone as he watched Sasuke inhale deeply.

"SHIT! NO, SASUKE, STOP!" Naruto yelled out but he was too late

**"********F****IRE STYLE: GRAND FIREBALL JUTSU!"** Sasuke shouted out with as much malice he could muster.

Naruto gritted his teeth before using a new jutsu he learned, but wanted to keep secret from his team. He shunshined over towards the merchant and pulled him out of the way, while the Kiri guard dodged the fireball easily. Sasuke continued to fire smaller fireballs at the Kiri-nin, but Kakashi appeared out of nowhere and batted the fireball away. This was proven to be a bad idea, since the fire ball didn't dissipate like Kakashi had assumed it would, and was now barreling towards Naruto who had his back turned.

"Naruto, look out!" Kakashi shouted, but it was too late as the fireball combusted and lit Naruto ablaze.

Naruto wasn't sure what was going on as he checked the old merchant, but he heard his Sensei's worried shout and felt the impact of the fireball. He screamed more out of surprise than pain before noticing his clothing and headband were on fire, so he did the only thing he could think of. He leapt over the bridge and into the stream. Naruto emerged from the river completely drenched and without his jacket, which was damaged beyond repair and floating in the river. In his hand was his scorched headband. The edges were slightly melted and the cloth was almost completely burned off. Besides his ruined wardrobe, Naruto seemed to be alright, much to Kakashi and the old man's relief.

Kakashi turned to his other student who was preparing another fireball and rushed at him. He buried his fist into Sasuke's stomach, which caused him to exhale all his air before Kakashi dropped him in a heap.

"What the hell were you thinking, Sasuke? Attacking a civilian, and a foreign one at that? Have you lost your mind?" Kakashi barked out.

"That bastard deserved it! He insulted my clan!" Sasuke yelled back.

"You honestly let a few words rile you up this much? I'm disappointed in you, Sasuke…" Kakashi said.

"Ninja-san, while I don't condone the boy's actions, it was my bodyguard who was being blatantly disrespectful even after I had warned him multiple times to mind his words while we were here," the merchant said to the shock of the bodyguard.

"Are you serious? You're blaming me for this?" the bodyguard asked incredulously.

"Yes, it is because of you that this started, and now all my wares have been destroyed as well! Your Mizukage will hear about this! Return to your village. I will request a Konoha-nin to escort me back, as I no longer feel safe in your presence!" the merchant said angrily.

The Kiri-nin stared at the Merchant in shock before glaring at the Konoha-nin. "This isn't over! The Mizukage will hear about what you did, and then you'll regret it, you bloodline freaks!"

Soon, the nin vanished from sight with a swirl of water before the completely drenched Naruto stomped up to his team. He was glaring hatefully at Sasuke who had just regained his composure and was staring back at Naruto with a cold expression.

"What the fuck were you thinking, Sasuke?! You could have killed that old man!" Naruto yelled.

"I don't have to explain myself to you, dobe," Sasuke dismissed Naruto.

Naruto was about to explode, but he took a calming breath. "You're right you don't have to explain to me, but you will have to explain to the Hokage."

"Naruto, where are you going?" Kakashi asked.

"I'm going to the Hokage tower. I'm sick of this shit! This incident has to be reported to the old man, and I'm asking for team transfer!" Naruto told them while keeping his back towards them.

"Naruto…" Kakashi started, but cut himself off. He sighed before turning to one of his coping mechanisms, which was his Icha Icha book.

* * *

**Flashback – End**

* * *

"You came in just in time to hear my transfer being rejected," Naruto said with a mirthless smile.

Shion and Hinata were stunned at what they heard. Shion rounded on Kakashi and started to yell at him, "How could you let that psycho get away with that?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow before answering cryptically, "I wouldn't say he got away with it. The Hokage and I decided on a few fitting punishments."

"Let me guess, ten lashes to his wrist," Naruto said sarcastically.

"Well, if you count not being promoted to Chunin in the next exams as ten lashes, then yes," Kakashi said with an eye smile.

"Wait, you didn't even tell us we were participating for the Chunin Exams…" Naruto stated.

"Well, that was the reason I was late today. I had just enlisted you and was coming to bring you the good news," Kakashi explained.

Naruto was silent for a second before asking, "Do you think we were ready, sensei? No offense, but we've only learned tree walking and team formations. Hinata, what has Kurenai-sensei taught you guys?"

Hinata slightly jumped when Naruto addressed her, but she replied, "Kurenai-sensei h-has taught us tree w-walking and s-some medium ranked g-genjutsus, while also s-showing us how t-to detect a-and b-break them. She's also taught us s-some complimentary jutsus t-to match with o-our clan s-specialties."

"I think we might be the most unprepared team for this then, and just makes me question your decision more, Kakashi-sensei…" Naruto said while staring at Kakashi.

"Well in my defense, Kurenai-san is quite meticulous in her planning, and is one of the most organized Jonins there is. Asuma probably hasn't taught much more to team 10 than I have taught you, and we needed to work on teamwork since we were the most dysfunctional team out of all the rookie ones," Kakashi explained.

Naruto frowned, but nodded his head to show he conceded his point to Kakashi. Kakashi ruffled his hair, much to Naruto's irritation and the girls' amusement.

"Don't worry too much, Naruto. I believe the Chunin Exams will be very beneficial to you and your team. If Sasuke was suspended, you wouldn't be able to even participate in them. Now, though, at least you have a chance at reaching Chunin, while he can't even if he finishes better than you," Kakashi explained.

"Well, I hope you and Hinata-chan get promoted, Naruto-san," Shion said with a smile.

Naruto smiled back before saying, "Thanks Shion, but could you drop the –san? I'm not one for formalities."

Shion blinked before nodding her head. "Sure, that's okay, Naruto. Kakashi-san, are we there yet?"

"Kakashi looked up and nodded his head. "Actually, yes, we're here." Kakashi walked towards the door and held it open for the girls who walked in, before looking out to see Naruto standing in the middle of the street with an apprehensive look on his face.

"I don't think I'm welcome in there, Kakashi-sensei…" Naruto said hesitantly.

Kakashi gave his student a look of sympathy before walking over to and placing his hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Naruto. I'll make sure they don't do anything to you."

Naruto hesitated again, but nodded his head and allowed Kakashi guide him into the store where the girls were looking at him curiously. Naruto smiled hesitantly, an expression which they returned with great intensity, but what happened next wiped away all their smiles.

"Hello, how can I-YOU! You are not allowed in here de-" The owner of the store was silenced by Kakashi's killing intent, which was directed only at him.

"I'm sorry, but is there a problem concerning my student?" Kakashi asked calmly, but his eye was daring the shop owner to speak out against him.

The shop owner began sweating a bit before glaring at Naruto once more. "I'm sorry sir, but we do not service the likes of him!"

Kakashi narrowed his eyes before saying, "Fine, let's go guys."

The owner smirked at Naruto's disbelieving face until Kakashi said, "I'll make sure the rest of the shinobi know about your poor etiquette and below standard attires. As an ex-ANBU and High Jonin, I have a lot of say."

The owner paled at that, but he didn't think it was a major loss until Shion decided to speak up as well. "I've never met such a disrespectful man in my life. I'll make sure my mother hears about this. As High Priestess of Demon Country, she has a lot of pull with many other nations, as well as some companies that supply materials to all over. I'm going to make sure your store is now on their blacklists."

The owner was shocked speechless. He couldn't believe what he had just heard, but what happened next almost made him faint in fear. "Ano…y-you insulted one o-of my f-friends. I take that as a-an insult to me as w-well, and my f-father will hear a-about this. As c-clan head of t-the Hyuga clan, h-he will not s-stand for t-this…"

This time it was Naruto, Kakashi, and Shion's turn to smirk at the catatonic owner as they walked out. Once outside, Kakashi sighed before rubbing the back of his head.

"I'm sorry about that, Naruto," Kakashi apologized sincerely.

"It's fine sensei, I'm used it by now," Naruto said with a bitter smile.

"Why do they treat you like that, Naruto?" Shion asked while Hinata looked on curiously.

Naruto cringed a bit, but said, "It's something I don't want to talk about, Shion…"

"I d-don't really u-understand, N-Naruto-kun, but I r-respect your decision a-and I hope you'll t-tell us in the f-future," Hinata said softly while Shion nodded her head.

"Hinata-chan is right, Naruto. We're your friends, and we'll still be there for you after, no matter what it is," Shion said with a kind smile.

"Don't make a promise you can't keep…" Naruto mumbled. The girls didn't hear it, but Kakashi did, and it saddened him to see his student like this.

Naruto shook his head, but smiled shakily. "Thanks girls, I appreciate that, but this is something I don't want to share about myself yet."

"Where do we go now, Kakashi-san?" Shion asked.

"I know a different place to go to. She usually only supplies ANBU, but she'll make an exception," Kakashi said as he led the trio to a much smaller and isolated store.

Kakashi entered first and motioned for the rest to follow him. Shion excitedly pulled Naruto and Hinata into the shop before taking a look around. The store was small, but it had a decent variety of clothing. She took a look at the owner, who looked at them before smiling welcomingly.

"Hello, how can I help you all today?" the owner asked before sweeping some of her long brown hair out of her face.

"We came to help our friend select a new attire that's suited for his occupation, ma'am," Shion replied politely while looking for any signs of hidden anger or distrust towards Naruto.

The owner turned towards Naruto before giving him a once over. "You should look in aisle 8 for clothing that'll fit him. That aisle contains clothing for people around four feet, give or take."

The girls nodded before dragging Naruto over to the suggested aisle. Kakashi looked at the owner and gave her a smile. "Thanks for letting him shop here, Kagome-san."

"It's not a problem, Captain. Which is your student? Is it the boy or one of the girls? I'm guessing it's the boy, since he's wearing your vest," Kagome stated with a friendly smile.

"I'm not your captain anymore, Kagome. You don't have to refer to me like that, and you are correct, the boy, Naruto, is my student. Put it on my tab, by the way," Kakashi said.

Kagome nodded her head. "You got, Captain. You'll always be the captain to me, so get used to it."

"I'm also the reason you're stuck here instead of out in the field," Kakashi said sadly.

Kagome shrugged her shoulders. "I have no complaints. You shouldn't blame yourself for what happened."

"Shopkeeper-san, where do you keep the headband cloths?" Shion asked from the other side of the store.

"I have them here in the front. Which color do you want?" Kagome asked.

"Orange!" three voices replied at once. Kakashi and Kagome laughed before Kagome grabbed an orange strip of cloth.

Kakashi watched as Naruto appeared with a large smile on his face. He was wearing black standard ANBU pants that were taped at the ankles, and he had a kunai pouch on each of his thighs. He also had a sleeveless muscle shirt that was black like his pants, but had orange pads on his shoulders as well as an orange dragon on the left hip of his pants that ran to the left pectoral of his shirt. On the back was the same red swirl all Chunin vests had, but higher up and between his shoulder blades.

"What do you think, Sensei?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi gave him a once over before nodding his head in approval. "It's a lot better than your old suit. I see you still managed to sneak in some orange too."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head before saying, "Actually, Hinata found it. She and Shion picked out everything. I was more or less their mannequin."

"You should probably get used to that feeling, Naruto," Kakashi joked.

"Why is that, Sensei?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Don't worry about it. Where are the girls?" Kakashi asked.

Before Naruto could answer, the girls appeared from the back room with Kagome, who limped back to her seat. Shion nudged Hinata slightly, who blushed before pulling out Naruto's new headband. Kagome had shined it and sewed it onto the orange cloth. Hinata presented the new headband to the speechless Naruto. Naruto took the headband and tied it to his bicep instead of wearing on his forehead like had in the past.

Before Shion or Hinata knew it, Naruto had engulfed both of them in a large hug. "Thank you so much for helping me with all this. You don't know how much this means to me."

Both girls were initially shocked, before both returned the hug with blushing faces while Kakashi and Kagome looked on. Kagome chuckled a bit, which drew Kakashi's attention.

"He's quite the lady-killer, isn't he? He must get it from you, captain." Kagome joked lightly.

Kakashi chuckled as well before seeing the trio separate, though Naruto kept his arms on both their shoulders. Shion's cheeks were a like pink while Hinata's were a tomato red.

"How much do I owe you, Kagome-san?" Naruto asked.

"Your Sensei has decided to cover it, so you're good. Make sure you give him a nice gift in return," Kagome said with a wink.

"Thanks Kakashi-sensei! I'll pay you back, don't worry!" Naruto said with a genuine smile.

"Don't worry about it, Naruto. Why don't you go outside with the girls? I want to finish my conversation with Kagome-san," Kakashi said with his signature eye smile.

Naruto led the girls outside before smiling at the both of them, "Thanks again, Shion-chan and Hinata-chan. If there is anything I can do to make it up to both of you, just name it."

Hinata seemed to be in her own blissful world after Naruto added –chan to her name, while Shion blushed, but had a mischievous smirk on her face.

"I have an idea as to how you can make up to us, Naruto-kun," Shion said coyly as Hinata looked at her friend curiously.

"What is it, Shion-chan?" Naruto asked curiously and completely missing Shion adding the –kun to his name.

"You could take us out on a lunch date!" Shion said excitedly.

"WHAT?!" Naruto, Hinata, Kurenai, and Taruho all said at the same time. The latter two had just walked around the corner to hear Shion's proposal.

"Y-you want me to take you on a d-date?" Naruto stuttered in shock.

Shion rolled her eyes and had a slight blush on her face. "First off, not a date-date, but a lunch date! They're different! ...I think…And secondly, not _**me**_, but _**us**_!"

Hinata squeaked as Shion pulled her close in a one-armed hug. She blushed at Naruto's piercing stare, which always made her heart flutter.

Naruto smiled gently before nodding his head. "I'd be honored to escort you two princesses to lunch tomorrow."

"P-p-princesses?" Hinata squeaked.

"Well, technically you're the princess of the Hyuga clan, and Shion-chan is the princess of Demon Country…" Naruto said sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head.

"He's got a point, Hinata-chan. So, what do we do now?" Shion asked.

"Now, Kurenai-sama and I will be escorting you and Hinata-san to the Hyuga compound. Unfortunately the hotels did not have enough rooms to accommodate all of us, so Hokage-sama asked Hiashi Hyuga-sama if Shion and I could take up residence in their compound, and he agreed," Taruho explained.

"My f-father agreed to a-allow y-you to stay?" Hinata said, surprised.

"Well it took some negotiating, and we have to follow all the rules of the household, but he did agree. Hinata-san, you were entrusted to be our escort after we mentioned your friendship with Shion-sama," Taruho concluded.

Shion nodded her head before noticing that the sun was setting. "Well, this was a fun day, but it's getting late. Meet us at the Hyuga compound at noon tomorrow, Naruto-kun!" Shion exclaimed as she dragged Hinata away while waving at Naruto.

"S-Shion-chan, The H-Hyuga compound is in the o-other d-direction!" Hinata squeaked out.

"Uh…I knew that…" Shion's voice echoed from down the street.

"That girl has no sense of direction…" Taruho said with a sigh.

"We better go catch up to them…Oh, and Naruto? You better be on your best behavior tomorrow!" Kurenai said menacingly.

Naruto sweated a bit, but nodded his head and saluted Kurenai, "I promise I'll be good, Kurenai-sensei! I don't want to upset my friends."

Kurenai gave Naruto a long stare before nodding her head sharply and walking off with Taruho. Naruto gave a sigh of relief before he nearly leapt out of his skin when someone put their hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see Kakashi eye-smiling at him.

"Kakashi-sensei, are you trying to kill me?" Naruto rasped out as he clutched his heart.

Kakashi chuckled good naturedly before getting serious. "Naruto, there some things we have to discuss about your "date" tomorrow…"

"It's j-just a l-lunch, date, Kakashi-sensei…" Naruto said with a blush.

"Be that as it may, you still need to learn etiquette so you won't embarrass yourself," Kakashi explained.

"Eti-what?" Naruto asked while scratching his head in confusion.

Kakashi sighed before resting his head in the palm of his hand. _"This is going to take a while…"_

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**Chapter End**

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**A/N So Naruto has a "lunch date" with both Shion and Hinata! I wonder how that will turn out. ****Also You'll see Hinata's reaction once the shock wears off**:3

**When I came up with this story, I thought this story would maybe get 15 reviews, but wow you guys blew that expectation out of the water! It's actually fun writing Shion's personality since she was depicted as a happy and exuberant child before her visions started to jade her outlook at life.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a comment below!**


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